TIRUNELVELI: At Pappakudi, nearly 30km off Tirunelveli, you can’t miss a lush green farm replete with man-made ponds and rain harvesting techniques, lying in close proximity to the Western Ghats. The part-owners of the 37-acre organic farm, a young husband-wife duo has toiled on the farm for five years, and transformed a completely barren land into a verdant valley.
For S Geetha Priyadharshini, a former IT geek in Bengaluru, the idea struck during her second pregnancy. “It was because of the health problems I faced during my pregnancy,” says the 38-year-old.
A native of Kovilpatti, Geetha gave birth to a stillborn baby before 2012, and subsequently, during her second pregnancy, her doctors had blamed consumption of contaminated rice for her health issues. Apparently, a long-term exposure to organophosphate insecticides leads to a higher risk of developing diabetes. It was during this hard time of recovery that Geetha along with her husband P Rajendran, who continues to work in an IT company in Bengaluru, decided to farm.
“I resigned my job in Bengaluru when we decided to do organic farming. As I am a follower of Agasthiyar, a sage, we looked for land in the Western Ghats and bought this barren land. Other than seemai karuvelam and a few other random trees, the land had only three wells, dried and filled with garbage,” Geetha smiles.
In 2016, the couple bought the land along with Geetha’s mother, sister, and a friend. But it was Geetha and Rajendran who spent an entire month removing the karuvelam before cleaning and desilting the wells, and reconstructing one small wall for a room for them to stay in when they visit.
“After the clearance works, we wanted to conserve the water as the land was dry and we did not want to install a borewell initially. During the first rain spell, we observed the slope region where the water stagnates, and later, we dug a small farm pond to store it. We also dug something similar to a moat around our land to let the rainwater run past and recharge the groundwater,” Geetha says.
While the process took time, the rainwater over two months that they saved up visibly nourished the land. The silt in the moat was also used for farming purposes, and native trees planted around the fence for the water to seep — beginning their journey into organic farming.With their continuous efforts, they expanded the pond and dug another two next to it. The soil’s colour began to change soon after due to water absorption. They further widened their farm by rearing fishes and feeding them farm livestock waste.What started as an experiment five years ago has borne fruits now.
“For setting up the first pond, we spent one lakh rupees. The water in the pond recharged the three wells in the land, and over 17 acres, we planted tree saplings and paddy. After water conservation, we implemented integrated farming and mulched the land. Abutilon indicum, Leucas aspera, and crown flower are weeds that are grown and we ploughed these to increase the organic carbon content in the soil. At present, sun hemp, dhaincha, Giricidia sepium, Sesbania grandiflora, moringa for soil enrichment, friendly crop coconut with banana, amla with moringa and banana, Pongamia pinnata, bamboo, and subabul for biomass are raised on the farm in addition to the paddy cultivation,” she says.
It was nothing short of an experimental laboratory for them.
“We request young farmers to have patience and also persistence as farming is a responsibility. Each family should have a farmer so that the next generation would learn farming amid climate change and other environmental issues. Our daughter grew up on the farm with us since she was three years old.”
The couple, residing in Hosur, manages the land all by themselves. Geetha works on the field often and travels to Pappakudi.
Tirunelveli Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Joint Director R Kajendrapandian said for water conservation, the department offers installation of farm ponds, check dams, and recharge shafts.
“The department is also willing to help farmers by providing them with barren land. The department also provides for cleaning the fallow land, debris removal, and levelling the land to encourage farmers,” he adds.
For the duo, whose grandparents are farmers, it is truly a journey back to the roots.